SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants freshened their roster Friday, activating third baseman Conor Gillaspie from the disabled list and recalling left-hander Steven Okert from Triple-A Sacramento.
To accommodate Gillaspie, who was in San Francisco's lineup for the series opener against the New York Mets, the Giants placed utility man Eduardo Nunez on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Tuesday, with a strained left hamstring. Right-hander Bryan Morris was designated for assignment to clear roster room for Okert, who's in his third tour of duty with the Giants this season.
Nunez, who entered Friday having missed six of San Francisco's previous seven games, is batting .299 with 17 stolen bases in 20 tries over 64 games.
"He's just not ready to go," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
Gillaspie, 29, returned to action against the team he helped eliminate from last year's postseason. His three-run homer in the National League Wild Card Game at New York complemented Madison Bumgarner's four-hit shutout and accounted for the game's scoring. In eight Minor League injury rehabilitation games with Sacramento, Gillaspie hit .296 (8-for-27).
To avoid a recurrence of his back issues, Gillaspie said he'll alter his daily routine by cutting back on extra pregame hitting and fielding.
"For whatever reason, I can't quite handle what I used to be able to handle," said Gillaspie, who added he might keep limber by doing additional stretching or footwork exercises instead.
"Something that's not as taxing," he said.
Okert will serve as a left-handed alternative to Josh Osich, who limited opponents to a .185 batting average but walked 12 batters in 18 2/3 innings entering Friday. Okert posted a 6.23 ERA in 19 appearances with the Giants between April 16 and May 24.
Bochy had been leery of overworking Osich. With Okert back in the bullpen, Bochy said, "this gives us coverage on the left-handed side."
Morris, 2-0 with a 6.43 ERA in 20 appearances, may have sealed his fate when he yielded five runs and five hits in two-thirds of an inning during the Giants' 12-11 loss Thursday at Atlanta.
"He wasn't quite as sharp as he'd like to be," Bochy said.